1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile broadband wireless access system for transferring service information during a handover operation, and more particularly, to transmitting quality of service (QoS) information to a target base station for admitted service flows during the handover operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a handover operation can be performed in a broadband wireless access system according to a request by a mobile subscriber station (MSS) or a base station (BS). In performing the handover operation from a current serving base station to one of a plurality of target base stations, the mobile subscriber station must provide quality of service (QoS) information for a service flow admitted in the current mobile subscriber station to the respective target base stations.
The QoS information provided to the target base stations includes a required bandwidth and a required service class name for the admitted service of the current mobile subscriber station. However, the target base stations are unable to sufficiently guarantee the QoS of a specific service with the QoS information only. In case a plurality of service flows are admitted in the mobile subscriber station, information indicating which one of the plurality of admitted service flows will be guaranteed is not provided.
For example, it is assumed that a mobile subscriber station receives both a real-time moving picture download service and a fixed speed service, such as a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP), from a current serving base station. While the mobile subscriber station is receiving the services, if a situation needing handover occurs, the information about the required bandwidth and the service class name for one QoS guarantee is delivered to target base stations. However, specific handover quality information for maintaining a quality of service for each admitted service is not delivered to the target base stations. Hence, it is difficult to decide which one of the respective admitted service flows will be guaranteed for its QoS. Moreover, it is difficult for the target base station to predict the estimated QoS level for each of the services.